Hey y’all, ready to amp up your breakfast game? Today, I have an absolute dream dish for you: manakish. While some of you might not have heard of this dish before, it’s a classic for breakfast in Lebanon. It’s a pizza-like flatbread with different toppings. This dish gives me the excuse to have pizza for breakfast and not feel like I am doing something socially unacceptable! If you have been in the same situation this recipe is the solution.

But jokes aside, manakish is an absolutely fantastic dish. It tastes delicious and is simple and super satisfying to prepare. This recipe features a simple dough for the flatbreads and a few classic toppings to try on your manakish. Enough talking! Let’s jump right in with this manakish recipe.

Ingredients for this Manakish Recipe:

For the Dough:

All-purpose flour
Olive oil
Yeast
Lukewarm water
Sugar
Salt

As Toppings:

Olive oil
Za’atar
White onions
Ripe tomatoes
Optional: vegan cheese & parsley

Manakish Recipe:

Making the Dough:

Firstly, let’s get right into the dough. To make the dough, dissolve the sugar in a sip of lukewarm water, and add the yeast. I am using dry yeast today. Be careful, if the water is not too warm, the yeast dies. We want the water to be in the 68-81°F range for optimal results.

Let the yeast get going in the water for 10 minutes. You should see some foam and bubbles appearing. Once the yeast is prepared, add the flour, salt, olive oil, and remaining water. Now, it’s time to get your hands in or turn a kitchen machine on. Work the mixture until everything is well incorporated and you have a nice dough in your bowl. You might want to add a touch of additional flour or water if your dough seems too dry or too wet.

Letting the Manakish Dough Rest:

Cover your bowl with a clean, slightly wet kitchen towel, and let the yeast do its magic for one hour in a warm place. Once the dough has risen, it should look something like this.

Separating the Dough:

Now, you can divide your dough into portions for the individual manoushe (Manoushe is the singular form of manakish). I like them to be on the smaller side (15-20 cm in diameter), so the dough is enough to make 14 manakish.

Once you have rationed the dough, roll it into balls, cover them again with a wet towel and let them rise for another hour.

Forming the Manakish:

Stretch the dough out by hand to make the manakish. You might need a light dusting of additional flour to prevent sticking. Aim for an even thickness of the dough. Quite satisfying how well it stretches!

Preheat your oven to 190° Celsius/374 Fahrenheit. Now, let’s prepare the delicious toppings for our manakish!

Manakish Toppings:

Za’atar Manakish

This variation is a classic in Lebanon. Add a generous sip of olive oil to a bowl, and add your za’atar spice mix. Of course, I am using my delicious homemade za’atar mix for this. Check it out, it’s super simple and quick to make. Spread a generous amount of the oil and spice mix on your manakish dough. I like to leave about a centimetre on the edges without topping.

Onion & tomato Manakish (Basal Bandoura Manakish)

Another classic variation is having manakish with finely chopped tomato and onion. It is simple, and it really doesn’t need any more than that! Try getting your hands on some quality, sweet fresh tomatoes for this.

Finely dice your onion, get rid of the white parts and seeds from the tomato, and chop them. Mix the tomatoes and onions with a touch of salt and olive oil, and spread them on the manakish.

And that’s all there is to do! Get these beauties in the oven, and keep a close eye on them! You will see some bubbles forming, and the edges will crisp up nicely. You will need to be extra careful with the za’atar olive oil manakish. They finish quicker as the oil conducts the heat.

The baking should take around 10 minutes. Depending on your preference, bake them a minute shorter or longer. I personally like the manakish to be on the crispier side, like you see in the pictures! For the tomato onion ones, you can add some chopped parsley if you feel like it!

Once finished baking, enjoy them hot. You can enjoy manakish with some tea and other complementary dishes of your choice! This fresh cinnamon mint tea makes a great match!

Other Toppings for Manakish:

Another famous manakish topping is cheese. I’ve tried making manakish with different vegan cheese substitutes, and personally, I wasn’t too much of a fan. But I am not easy to convince with cheese substitutes anyways, so if you have one that you like, give it a try!

Aside from that, other popular manakish toppings are minced meats. Now that you know how to make the dough, you can experiment with some meat substitutes or other veggies of your choice. Whatever you like, try it out!

Some Tips when making this Manakish Recipe:

Prepare the dough ahead! The dough stays good for at least two days. It will remain nice and stretchy if you store it well. You can cover it with a wet kitchen towel, so it doesn’t dry out!
I like to prepare the dough on the evening before making manakish. I let the invidivual dough balls rest and rise overnight before streching them out and baking them in the morning when I want to have manakish!
Enjoy them fresh and hot. Manakish are best right out of the oven!

I hope you enjoy this manakish recipe! Let me know what you think in the comments!

Other Levantine Dishes you might Enjoy:

This hummus recipe will blow your mind.
I cannot get enough of this delicious muhammara
Baba ganoush is a classic meze for a good reason!
Ever had harak osbao? It’s such a comfort food!
Stuffed dates are a fantastic snack

Some more Breakfast Inspirations:

Hummus fatteh is my go-to! Protein-packed and delicious!
If you like hummus, you need to give musabaha a look!
Congee is a classic Asian breakfast. Comfort food at its finest.
Ful Medames is an Egyptian classic. A great start to your day.
More of a sweet tooth? These french toasts are a Sunday treat!